


Diaries From The House On The Hill: The New Girl

by DaringDanger



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Mystery, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25369621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaringDanger/pseuds/DaringDanger
Summary: After finding herself with no caretaker when her mother is arrested, Alicia is sent to the House on the Hill, a foster home for problem girls. It's shrouded in mystery, legends, and dead plants. Rumor has it the girls who live there are the worst of the worst, will Alicia become a part of the group, or will she be chewed up and spit out by it?





	1. In The Night Ahead

_On a street unknown in a town you vaguely recall, lies a house untouched by time. As you approach you hear the sounds of girls singing. Will you listen?_

Diaries From The House On The Hill

The New Girl

An Original Story by Daring D.D. Danger

Chapter I: In The Night Ahead

Nebula’s Diary:

Many girls have passed through my house, all of them fighting their own demons. Maybe I'm fighting my own, too. But I remember a few who really stood out. Like all the girls, their memories are ingrained into the house on the hill.

Alicia’s Diary:

I never thought I'd end up in the house on the hill, but I suppose that's how things worked out. It was a warm July day as child services drove me up to the infamous foster home for teenage girls. It was more of a house for problem girls from what I heard through the rumor mill. No one at school really talked to girls who lived in the house.. my ‘friends’, Taylor and Katie, were already being sort of weird around me. The car turned onto a broken driveway.We began to slowly rumble up the hill. The grass was mostly browned... but admittedly, somewhat well groomed. The few trees on the yard were kind of scraggly, but perhaps they were supposed to be that way. I can't believe my mother was sent to prison for stealing from a grocery store. Admittedly, she wasn't the best person. She had several offenses prior that weren't necessarily to feed me or of food in general and they just saw fit to get rid of her, I guess. I never had a father, or really any family... just me and mom. We pull up to what may have once been a white house, the decayed wood siding was chipping away with time. The house looked haunted from the bottom of the hill. Everyone in town thought that, but up close, it looked like it just needed to be cleaned up... for the last fifty years or so. It was almost a mansion, I guess? The double doors shot open revealing four figures- three younger girls, and a woman, maybe in her forties, covered in tattoos, with purple hair, cut in a punk rock style with one side shaved off. The driver had already gotten out and thrown my bags to her and was gesturing me to come out. I stepped out onto a surprisingly new tile pavement stone... it turned out maintenance did exist in this house. I dragged my meager possessions to the door. While the woman was talking, the three girls approached me.

"I'm Jenny!" the shortest of the three said. Jenny was somewhat frumpy, with long blondish hair. I had seen her around school, she was part of the infamous crowd of girls from this place, as were the other two. I told her I was Alicia. She motioned to another girl, with a buzz cut and a tattoo of the Venus symbol on her arm. The words below the ink read ‘here to stay, here to slay.’

"She's Phoenix. She doesn't talk much." Phoenix held up a peace sign. "The tall one is Dannika, she's the leader of this triad."

"You'll love it here," said Dannika, possibly with sarcasm, but I couldn't tell. I asked if we were the only four girls at the house. The girls said there was a fifth, but she never came out of her room and the housemaster homeschooled her. Her name was Jenna. The girls parted like a set of doors and I entered the house. In front of me lay a foyer, about 40 years out of date, the aged and somewhat un-maintained wood floors leading to a once ornate staircase. I didn't hear the middle aged woman come up behind me.

"Hello."

I jumped a little.

"I'm Nebula. I own this house and now I'm in charge of your safety. To your left is the recreation room, we have board games and basic cable. Kitchen and dining room are on your right. Bathroom is under the stairs. Basement is also under the stairs.There's a pool table and some old video games. You break it, you ruin it for everyone. Second floor is rooms 1-8, you'll be in room 5. You may etch your name in the door, it's an old tradition I've given up on stopping. Rooms 9 and 10 are on the 3rd floor, as well as my room, and the attic entry, both of which are off limits. Normally you are forbidden to leave the house except for school for the first month you are here, but since it's July, that'd be boring. So, after tomorrow, you may leave if you are with one of the girls who is not Dannika. Bedtime is in two hours and you missed dinner.Welcome to the hill." Nebula had a very deep voice and the tonality of a drill sergeant, she was also frighteningly tall.

  
Nebula’s Diary:

Overall, Alicia had a typical new girl experience. Soon, the ‘leader’ of the house would descend upon her to tell the legends of my home, most of which were false.... most. Dannika was trouble. To put it politely. I never got to the bottom of her feelings, possibly because she wouldn't trust anyone, but maybe Alicia could get to the bottom of that mystery?

Dannika’s Diary:

A new girl! What fun, and with an hour left before Nebula sent us to bed. I went around to all the girls' rooms, even Jenna, even though she neglected to answer. Maybe Jenna was actually just an urban legend? She had to use the bathroom at some point, right? It was an old house rule that whomever was there first was in charge, and right now I proudly held that role, but only by a few days over Jenna. What did she even look like? After leading the other girls to the basement and waiting for Alicia to admire the empty bar and infamous haunted radio, I began.

"Once upon a time, a family lived in this very house. Two happy parents with a son and daughter. One night however, the parents were murdered and the kids were never seen again. However, after the house lay abandoned for 20 years, a woman showed up in town suddenly, and bought the house, claiming to have been the parents' daughter, and next in line to own the house. This woman is Nebula. She opened this place soon after. Although the police declared the murders a cold case, many believe the kids were the murderers. If that doesn't scare you, there exists no public information about the case, no newspapers, not even pictures of the family. Supposedly, Nebula destroyed it all!" The three began to leave. Jenny was already talking to Alicia, probably explaining how I tell the legend of the house on a hill to every new girl. In all fairness, most of it is true, information about the murders did disappear, but they did happen. Stranger still, Nebula has only existed for like 5 years, according to records. Of course, this is all based on secret letters that appear under my door some nights just signed with a letter ‘J’. I think it's time for me to sneak out to my secret smoking spot so Nebula doesn't catch me.

Nebula’s Diary

I don't think any person is truly bad. I'm sure Dannika had a reason for doing what she did… and as far as destroying evidence about my parents' deaths, I have no idea where that legend came from. Anyway, let's talk about Jenny!

Jenny’s Diary

It's been a few days since Alicia arrived. I like her. I just hope she gets pulled from this place before she ages out of the system, like I do next month. One thing I really like about Alicia was that I couldn't quite find her reason. More specifically, her reason for being sent to the house. Phoenix had her anxiety and depression, Dannika her criminal record, Jenna had her... well… everything. Me and Alicia just seemed to be more.... typical orphans. The only thing strange about me is that I’m always really tired but I can never sleep. It's too bad I will age out of the system as a troubled child. Not really much hope for me as a young adult. At least the house was a semi-nice place to live. Nebula took care of the inside of the house well. It looked old, but it all worked well. If only she were good at cleaning. I will say, adding central air this past year was a nice addition though. In previous years, the top two floors were unbearable in the summer. The funny thing is, I don't remember my town being this warm in the summers. It's only been like this since I've lived at the house.

Nebula’s Diary:

Jenny always seemed to struggle with memory. She did have a reason, but maybe she just needed a little push to remember what it was. Now, I can't tell the story of these girls without talking about Jenna. But be warned, her brain wasn't always the clearest.

Jenna’s Diary:

Midnight. I check my computer to see if I need to send any J-mail. I knew we were due for a visit from Lizzy, but I'd tell everyone about her later. I lose my power if I blow all my secrets. I will expose the mystery of this house. I caught Dannika telling the new girl about the haunted stereo earlier in the day, as well as the legend of the house. People cannot be trusted, but especially Nebula. How can no one see it? The disappearing girls? I'm breaking out and investigating that radio tonight. I know no one will catch me, just gotta make sure Lizzy doesn't find me if she comes tonight. I open my window. Technically, the bedroom windows are supposed to be sealed, but a year of secretive work paid off. There was a ledge outside the second floor. I crept along here and over to the opposite side of the house. It was annoying that the new girl had a rear facing room. It made my secret cellar route more difficult. Normally, I didn't have to pass any windows that were occupied. I’ve already taken several pictures of her, of course. I calculated her weight and wrote some other details her files didn't tell me. The kitchen window made an awesome ladder to the ground. The house had an old basement entrance from back when they used to burn coal for heat. We weren't allowed in the laundry room alone, which is where the entrance lead. Of course, Nebula was a huge liar, but I'd searched this room high and low and found no evidence. The laundry room connected to the bar room. I decided it was a necessity to turn the lights on this time. I'd run the serial number of the radio later. Thankfully it took only two screws to pull out from under the bar. There were no wires connected to it. All it actually seemed to do was conceal a button attached to the bottom of the bar. The button was ceramic, and very old. I had to push it. I had to push the button. A bell rang somewhere in the basement. I scrambled to put everything back and tore back to my room. If it weren't for everyone being so awful I'd go out and exercise more. I had a moment to think... and I'm glad. I finally caught Nebula. That bell was behind the bar wall. There was no room behind the bar on the house blueprints.

Nebula’s Diary:

I still struggle to believe anything Jenna said. She had quite the imagination after all. This story is about Alicia anyway, so let’s talk more about her instead.

Alicia’s Diary:

I wandered down to the basement. It's hard to believe I’ve been living here a week. It felt longer. I didn't see much of Nebula the entire time.

Dannika and Jenny were at the pool table. I wander over to the bar, where a dormant stereo system lay under the shelf. I attempt to turn it on.

"It doesn't work," says Jenny. Dannika chimes in.

"We call it the haunted stereo. Notice how none of speakers are plugged in. Well, anytime something happens, that thing will randomly start playing music." I tell her she's just making things up now. Both girls tell me they've heard it happen, and that anytime a girl leaves the house, she seems to just disappear, leaving only her name in the door. At that moment, Dannika wins whatever game they were playing and heads upstairs.

"I wish I could live a normal life," says Jenny, directly to me. I get the sense this has to do with more than the house or Dannika.

"I feel like I don't get any sleep. I'm in such a fog that I can't focus, and it ruins my ability to enjoy life." It seemed spontaneous for her to open up to me at that point in time, but I felt I understood her better. We continued to talk in the basement for a few hours after.

I decide as it turns night to finally partake in the silly tradition of etching my name on my door. I looked at everyone’s door. I guess when you left, your name was sanded off. With the exception of Jenny's door, everyone only had one name on theirs. The name Lizzy was also scrawled into hers, crossed out, and then scrawled again much deeper below it. I wonder if Lizzy was another legend of the house. I also noticed that the unoccupied rooms seemed to have the names of their previous owners. Mercedes used to live across from me. This place was downright creepy, but the people, or at least, those who weren't Nebula or Jenna were alright, but I still locked my door at night. I awoke to a knocking on my door at an early hour. I pulled the cord for my overhead light. A note lay in front of my door, written in what I hoped was red ink.It read: ‘I am the sixth girl in the house. I am Lizzy.’ Suddenly, music began to fill the house from the basement. It was not something I’d listen to, some kind of punk rock. I picked up the line ‘I’ll gently violate your mind before I tuck you in’ before I decided to tune out the music and go back to bed.

Welcome to the nightmare… to be continued


	2. The Light Ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a SLIGHT warning going into this one, there is talk of drug use. Reader beware

Diaries From The House On The Hill

The New Girl

An Original Story by Daring D.D. Danger

Chapter II: The Light Ahead

Nebula’s Diary:

Phoenix was quiet, to say the least, but she was a survivor through and through.

Phoenix’s Diary:

I was up before everyone this morning. I saw the carnage first. The house was destroyed. Lizzy had come again. There'll be a lockdown. And then, the war.

"Lizzy is after my heart," Dannika's surly voice echoed from the upstairs hall. Alicia had also entered the hall that overlooked the foyer, strewn with garbage and graffiti.

"Was this you, Dannika?" She asked. I knew it wasn't. We all knew by now. It was Lizzy. No one knew who Lizzy actually was, but she tore the house up once a month or so. the consensus was that it was either me or Jenna, but obviously, it wasn't me. The stairs from the third floor began creaking and I knew our time was coming.

"You girls know how long this takes to clean! You are all confined to your rooms until one of you tells me who Lizzy is!" When Nebula was angry, it showed, big time. The short parts of her hair stuck up like a cats’. She honestly screamed like a man, but of course, she was in a metal band at some point, apparently, and had an impressive low and high range. I ran to my room and ducked under the covers. The war was already starting. Dannika and Jenny were screaming, blaming each other. Blaming me, blaming Jenna. Although I didn't want to point fingers, I knew they hated each other. I wish I could just tell Dannika to leave us out of her games. I don’t even really care what Alicia thinks. I just know Dannika is bad for Jenny. The war died down after about 45 minutes. I got up and noticed a note had come under my door. It read:

‘Careful whom you place your trust in -J’

Dannika’s Diary

"Stupid Jenny."

Walking around my room over and over, I notice my secret compartment.

"You're stronger than that," I think, closing the hole back up. I think about my parents a lot. No one at the house talked about their parents.It's just not something we talked about, I guess. The only difference was that I was better off without mine. They were deadbeats anyway. I fed myself, I worked, and what did it get me? Here. Heck, I had a half sister supposedly, who knows since I barely knew my dad. I’m just Dannika. I'm too mean, they say, but it's survival of the fittest, and I had to be the fittest. I was trying to impart some of my street smarts onto Jenny and the rest of them, but they are too goody goody. Jenny is always tired, Phoenix never talks. Whatever. I'm a lone wolf, and I'm doing great. Suddenly, a letter slides under my door.

‘Try seeing things from a different perspective. -J<3’.

I swear I'd catch Jenna sending these one of these times. I wonder if I'm the only one who gets a little heart next to the J on the notes...

I look to the hole in the wall once more.

“Dammit.” I open the cover and look down at the syringe and needle. It’s not a weakness I’m proud of, but it got me through some of the worst of the pain. How else did you deal with your mom hitting you so hard you needed glasses after? Like I wore the glasses either, though. One hit. I worked myself up as I tied the tourniquet around my arm. One hit.

Nebula’s Diary:

I actually never found that damn hiding spot while Dannika lived at the house. She was an incredible liar, and talker in general.

Phoenix’s Diary:

I hate hearing Dannika yell at Jenny. Jenny is a sweet girl and Dannika is just a brute. I wish I had it in me to speak up more. I feel like I’m almost as much of a cryptid as Jenna in this house. It won’t matter. Soon I’ll have the courage. I’ve been working on it for weeks. I can finally impress everyone, and tell Jenny how I feel about her. I just had to wait for our next day free at the house, then I can impress her.

Jenny spent a lot of time with Alicia since she arrived. Was I the jealous type? Was that why I felt burning hate for Alicia? I guess I’m not proud of that.

Nebula’s Diary:

The girls were allowed to leave the house in groups. They aren’t in prison after all, although a few of them could be. The house was more like… a foster home for would be criminals. There was Jenna’s hacking, Alicia’s mom, Dannika’s drug conviction, Phoenix’s theft conviction. Jenny was an odd one, her parents sort of just… got scared of her. I’m not sure why, entirely…

Alicia’s Diary:

Jenny and Phoenix never struck me as mall rats, but that was our plan tomorrow. Something odd I’d noticed. I couldn’t remember where the mall was, even though this was my home town. Maybe I’d hit my head or something? I wrote if off by asking Jenny what route we’d be taking, and apparently it was just around the corner, behind the hill we lived on. Why couldn’t I visualize the streets?

Nebula’s Diary:

I hadn’t ever gotten much into driving around myself, nor would I have called younger me a mall rat. As for why Alicia couldn’t remember her way around town,perhaps I could shine a light on that,but we seem to have missed a song...

Alicia’s Diary:

Music filled the house at about one in the morning. A really angry song, the chorus ended on the lyrics ‘I’m always running from disaster’. It wasn’t the kind of music I liked, but I found myself tapping the bed frame with my foot along to the beat, as the house slightly vibrated with the music, under the light of the crescent moon.

The more doors you open, the deeper the mystery goes, but the door ahead is broken…

To Be Continued


End file.
